Red Bull goes to the wall

Red Bull already has a long and famous association with extreme sports, so if the urban art movement can be regarded as "extreme art," then Red Bull and graffiti are a natural partnership.

Red Bull and street art go back a long way. Back in 2006 the energy drink was involved in street art projects in Germany and Amsterdam, and the "Art of Can" series of exhibitions in which artists used Red Bull cans to create sculptures and art installations has become well established in the US. Red Bull has a long and famous association with extreme sports, and if the urban art movement can be regarded as extreme art, then Red Bull and graffiti is a natural partnership.

A brilliant marriage

The recognition of street art and graffiti owes much to names like Banksy and before him Basquiat, who turned the modern urban landscape into their canvas. Of course the downside to street art is that it is often rooted in to its location, making it difficult for enthusiasts of the genre to discover the best work.

This at least was the case before Red Bull Street View, a brilliant marriage of Google's Street View service, and Red Bull's street art heritage. Using the familiar Google Map's interface, fans can use the branded location finder to search out examples of street art, and use Google Street View to see works of graffiti in situ. Photographic images of the work, hosted on Flickr, are displayed adjusted for the correct perspective, to create as real a viewing sensation as possible.

Artists and fans are also able to submit work to the map, adding to the inventory of the user generated, and user-curated, global art gallery. The usual social network tools enable fans to share their posts and discoveries with their friends.

Results

Launched in mid-February, there are nearly 2000 works of street art catalogued on the map, with images tagged from countries across the world. The Street Art View is less of a site, and more a collaboration of web tools, was developed by digital agency Loducca Sao Paulo in Brazil.